Thursday, September 30, 2010

Did you know that this Saturday is World Cardmaking Day? This special day celebrates the joy of cardmaking. Why not join me to create this one-of-a-kind All-Occasion card portfolio?

This portfolio features 6 cards and 12 interchangeable sentiments. Simply choose the sentiment appropriate for the desired occasion, adhere it to the pre-made card and give to that special recipient.

Front cover of All-occasion Card Portfolio

This portfolio holds 6 full-size cards and envelopes. It also has 12 sentiments that can be added to the cards as needed. You choose the combination of sentiments...it is totally customizable! This cute set makes a great gift...and remember, Christmas is only a couple of months away!

Here are photos of the 6 cards that are included:

It's not too late to join us on Saturday morning at 9:30 to create this beautiful project! Call or email today to let me know you'd like to come and celebrate World Cardmaking day with us!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Ok...so now, FINALLY, here are the promised swap card photos. I was so impressed with the creativity of these ladies! I am going to post them in two groups: today's cards will be Christmas ones and tomorrow's will be everything else! Enjoy!

Designed by Betsy Rouw.

Designed by Cindy van Oorschot

Designed by Cindy Dennis

Designed by Jennifer Rios-Raner

Aren't these cards beautiful? I just love them and can't wait to use ideas from these talented ladies in my next creations!

Now for my very favourite photo from Regionals!

Shelli Gardiner (Co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up!) and ME!! It truly was a highlight for me to meet Shelli and have a chance to talk with her.

My appologies to my regular readers for not getting a post up yesterday. Sometimes my 7-5 job conflicts with my 7-midnight one! There are days in teaching when you wonder why you ever chose that career...yesterday was one for me! CRAZY!?!

Anyhow, today I am going to do two posts...this one features a photo of our Jammin' Stampers team at Regionals on Saturday.

This amazing and talented group of ladies and I had a fantastic day in Hamilton. We learned so many stamping tips and tricks as well as several great business ideas. The day ended with a yummy dinner at ﻿ Turtle Jack's. Thanks, ladies for a great day!

If you would like to learn more about becoming a team member, please call or email me! I would be happy to tell you more about Stampin' Up! and why I chose to become a demonstrator (even though I already have a well-paying and rewarding full-time job). That's the great thing about Stampin' Up!..they welcome and support us all from career-minded, full-time demonstrators to the hobbyist (like me!) who just joins for the great discount on product. There is no pressure and the rewards are great.

If you are considering the SU opportunity, now is THE TIME! Ask me why! (Hint: It involves some great FREE stuff!)

I'll be back later this evening with the promised photos of swap cards I received. See you then...

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Whew...it has been a whirlwind weekend! Yesterday I was at the Hamiltion Regional Seminar for Stampin' Up!. It was such a great day! I learned SO much and had fun swapping and stamping with my friends. The highlight of the day, by far, was meeting Shelli Gardiner. For those of you who have no idea who I'm talking about, Shelli is the Co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up!. She is a bit of a legend among us demonstrators and having the chance to say hello and let her know how much I appreciated her coming all the way to Hamilton from Utah was certainly something I won't soon forget. I also had a photo taken with her which I will post tomorrow. All in all, the day was such fun and so informative. I also had the chance to swap cards with many demonstrators from all over Ontario and the US. Tomorrow I will post some photos of the beautiful cards I received in exchange, but today I wanted to show you the second swap card I made to take with me.

This card uses the ornament and sentiment from the Contempo Christmas set in the main catalogue. The patterned paper is from an unexpected source...the Playdate DSP pack! I was looking for a single colour print in Old Olive and lo and behold there is was! I think it is perfect for Christmas. The layer underneath the patterned paper is Whisper White cardstock that I ran through my Big Shot with the Perfect polka Dots embossing folder. I layered that on a piece of Old Olive cardstock, tied a bow with Old Olive satin ribbon and mounted the whole thing on a Whisper White card base. The ornament and the sentiment are both stamped with Cherry cobbler ink. The ornament is punched out using the ornament punch. I added a wee bit of sparkle with a single rhinestone jewel. The sentiment was punched out using the Wide oval punch and was then layered on a Decorative Label punch in Old Olive. This is a quick and easy card that still is contemporary and elegant. Check in tomorrow when I will post swap cards I received as well as my photo with Shelli!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Okay...well not YET, but eventually it will...and hopefully in time for a white Christmas! Today's post is a different twist on a Christmas card. No red and green here! I've entered this card in the Moxie Fab Scallop challenge here
﻿

The scalloped background on this card was inspired by a card on the cover of Paper Crafts magazine!

﻿

Close-up of sentiment detail.

Inside of card

This card is all about blue. I used the following shades of blue cardstock: Night of Navy, Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist and Bashful Blue. I punched 1" circles of each colour and layered them in a scallop pattern. The top rows of scallops are punched from brushed silver cardstock. I used a Whisper White base to glue my circles to. I wrapped a piece of Whisper White satin ribbon around the middle of the cardfront and then layered a piece of Marina Mist 1/8" taffeta ribbon over top. The snowflake is cut using the Snowflake #2 die and my Big Shot. After I cut the snowflake I ran it through the Big Shot again using the perfect polka dots embossing folder. I then misted it with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch to give it some sparkle. The sentiment comes from the Perfect Punches stamp set in the main catalogue. I heat embossed it using Versamark ink and silver embossing powder. I punched the sentiment out using my 1 3/4" scalloped circle punch and then layered it on a 2" circle punched from brushed silver cardstock. I adhered the snowflake to the cardfront and then added the sentiment using dimensionals. I layered the whole thing on a Whisper White mat and then adhered that to a Night of Navy card base.
For the inside of the card, I ran a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Whisper White cardstock through my Big Shot using the Northern Flurries embossing folder. I matted that on a piece of brushed silver cardstock and glued it to the inside of my card. I added some basic rhinestone jewels for some shine. The sentiment is from the Occasional Quotes Level 3 hostess set and is stamped in Night of Navy ink. I punched it out using my decorative label punch. It is adhered using dimensionals.
I am having so much fun designing Christmas cards! I am going to have to start sending cards to random people from the phone book if I am ever going to use them all!!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

As promised, here is the more contemporary version of the Christmas Stationery Box I posted yesterday.

More contemporary looking Christmas Stationery Box

Contemporary box open

Box contains 4 of these full sized- cards and envelopes...

...four of the 3 x 3" cards and envelopes and 6 of the gift tags.

This box has a slightly more modern look about it. The card designs are cleaner and simpler with fewer embellishments than the vintage one I posted yesterday. I am working on one more version which will be a bit more whimsical and use non-traditional Christmas colours. I can't promise when I'll have it done and ready to post as this week at work is very busy and I am away at Regionals in Hamilton on Saturday and a bridal shower on Sunday. I will keep working at it and get it posted as soon as I can. Once you decide which version you prefer, email or call to confirm your spot in my class on Nov. 29th or arrange your private class for you and three or four (or more!) friends. At that time you can let me know which version you would like to make. This set is a perfect teacher gift...trust me...as a teacher I would take this over another mug or box of chocolates any day!!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Stationery box open. There is a spot for a pack of 10 stamps and a pen.

The box contains 4 of these full-sized cards and envelopes...

...4 of these 3x3" cards and envelopes...

...and 6 of these gift tags!

I just love the Deck The Halls DSP from the Holiday Mini! The colours are so rich and the images so detailed. I used this paper to create this Vintage-Style Stationery box. The box was designed by SU demonstrator Jackie Topa...an extremely talented lady! I took her box design and created this Christmas set with the idea of using it as a gift idea. It is perfect for a child's teacher or a special friend. I am offering this set as a class on Monday, November 29th at 7:00 pm. The cost for the class is $30, which includes all the materials and envelopes to create the box and it's contents (pen and stamps NOT included). Tomorrow I will post a second, more contemporary, version of this same project. Class attendees can choose which version they would like to make when they register. If you are interested in this project but can not make it to the class on the date it is offered, get three or four friends together in your home and I will come to you on a mutually convenient date. Call or email me today to inquire about availability.

Monday, September 20, 2010

I am SOOOO excited about the Hamilton Regional Seminar for Stampin' Up! It is my first SU event and I am really pumped to meet other demonstrators who share my love of papercrafting in general and Stampin' Up! in particular! One of the things I am most looking forward to is swapping cards with other demos. I've been working on my swap cards and today's post is one of them!

Swap card#1 for Hamilton Regionals

This card uses the Candy Cane Christmas DSP from the Holiday Mini. I wasn't too sure about this paper when I first saw it. I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas, so the colour scheme didn't appeal to me at first. Then the paper came and lo and behold, I LOVE it! The striped paper on the bottom half of the card has lots of sparkle with the glittery red stripes. I especially like the two shades of green: Garden Green and Wild Wasabi. I used both those colours in the matting for this card. I also used the Merry Little Christmas builder wheel and teamed it with the Striped builder wheel from the main catalogue. I inked it using Whisper White craft ink on Real Red cardstock. I like the way the stripes look like peppermint candy! The focal image is from the Christmas Classics set and is stamped in Wild Wasabi and Real Red. I coloured the stamp with my markers to get the two-tone effect. I punched the image out with a 2" non-SU circle punch and then matted it on a 2 3/8" scalloped circle in Wild Wasabi. I mounted it using dimensionals. The only embellishments on this card are the 3/8" Whisper White taffeta ribbon and a single basic rhinestone jewel...just enough to add a little sparkle to the sentiment. I hope my fellow swappers like it!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

I'm posting this card in the hopes my friend ( who will be the recipient next weekend) doesn't see it. I know she is really busy with wedding preparations so I'm trusting that she won't have time to read my blog!

Shower card for a friend who is being honoured next weekend.

Close-up of sentiment.

Inside of card

Here is what I did to put this card together...it's actually really easy!
I started by running a 5 1/4 x 4" piece of Very Vanilla cardstock through my Big Shot using the Elegant Lines embossing folder. (I absolutely adore our embossing folders...so much WOW for so little effort!) Then I sponged the entire thing with Champagne Mist shimmer paint. I adhered the blue pearls, which came from our local dollar store. The ribbon is just a scrap that I adhered on either end on the back of the Very Vanilla panel. I gathered it in the middle and tied it using Linen Thread. I stamped the sentiment from the For The Bride set in Soft Suede ink on Very Vanilla cardstock. I then punched it out using my word window punch. Then I punched a modern label from Soft Suede, a wide oval from Elegant Soiree Designer Series Paper, and a decorative label from Baja Breeze. I layered them all, added some more blue pearls and adhered using dimensionals. Then I layered the front panel on a 5 3/8 x 4 1/8" piece of Elegant Soiree DSP and mounted the whole thing to a Baja Breeze card base.
The inside is pretty self-evident based on the picture...no fancy techniques or secrets here! The Love sentiment is from the Level 3 hostess set called Occasional Quotes and the Congratulations is from the Perfect Punches set. The patterned paper is also from the Elegant Soiree pack.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Next weekend I am invited to a shower for a friend who is having twin girls. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend because I will be at the Hamilton Regional Seminar for Stampin' Up!. Since my mom and sister-in-law are both attending I am going to send a gift along with them. This is the card I made to go with it.

Twin girls card using images from the Baby Bundle stamp set

Close up of the the sentiment from a retired set called By Ones and Twos

Inside of the card. Sentiment is again from the By Ones and Twos set

I just love the Nursery Suite specialty paper pack. I especially love that there are self-adhesive die-cut accents that go with it! Here is what I did to make this card.
I began by stamping the images on watercolour paper using brown Staz-On ink. This ink will not run when it gets wet, which makes it perfect for watercolouring. I coloured the images using my blender pen and ink pads and then wrapped a piece of Pear Pizzazz ribbon around the bottom of the image. I matted the images on a piece of DSP from the Nursery Suite pack. (Just love this print!) I then matted that on a piece of Pear Pizzazz cardstock. The scalloped corner details are from the Nursery Suite accents pack. I took one of the scalloped strips and cut it to size to create photo corners. For the sentiment, I stamped it in Regal Rose ink and then punched it out using my large oval punch. I punched a scalloped oval in Regal Rose cardstock and glued the sentiment to it. I then added the smallest pearls from the basic jewels around the scallops. I mounted it to the ribbon using dimensionals. The entire card front is mounted on a Regal Rose card base. I carried the same theme to the inside of the card using the same DSP and scalloped photo corners as well as framing the sentiment in the same way. I had so much fun making this card I think I may make another one to keep for myself! I sure hope my friend likes it as much as I do!

Friday, September 17, 2010

I am not big into Halloween. As the parent of a 3-year-old, I find many Halloween displays are just too scary for him and therefore don't really do much besides taking my son trick-or-treating around our court and carving a pumpkin. That said, I have seen many cute little ghosts made with the Owl Punch floating around various blogs and websites that were just too adorable to pass up. So, here is a Halloween card that is WAY out of my confort zone!

Whew...that list is longer than I thought! I sponged the sky using a 1 3/4" circle mask for the moon and Night of Navy ink. I then removed the mask and sponged the moon in More Mustard and Cajun Caraze and added a few wispy clouds in Night of Navy. The ground was sponged in Early Espresso. I stamped the trees in Basic Black. the bats were made using the largest circle from the Owl punch for the body, the 1" circle cut in half and then inserted into the scalloped oval punch. I then trimmed them a bit to make them a little less round on top. I added the facial detail using Smooch and a white gel pen. My ghost is the body of the owl (with the feet cut off) turned upside down. The feet are from the same punch-out but in black. The eyes and mouth are all circles from the owl punch. I sponged the edges of the body in Sahara Sand to give it some dimension. I think you can probably figure out the rest by looking at the pictures. I had fun with this card and might actually think about doing some little treat bags to hand out on the Big Night.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Well...I didn't get a chance to post this last night like I had planned. My son was having a melt-down and wanted mommy-time and, since I haven't seen much of him this week (which is likely why he was having the meltdown in the first place), I obliged. That meant taking my camera to work with me today and posting on my lunch hour. So, in between bites, here is a card I made using a colour combination from the Colour Coach.

Looking at the colours on the screen in my office, they are really off! I hope they are better on your computer! I used Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive. I really like this combo for fall. If you don't already own a Colour Coach, you NEED one! It is a tool I go to all the time for inspiration and ideas.
To make this card I used a hostess set called "Cute by the Inch". It is extremely versatile and could be yours for FREE with a qualifying workshop. Other products I used were Playdate Designer Series Paper (LOVE this!), the Square Lattice embossing folder, my 3/4" and 1 3/8" square punches, the Word Window and Modern Label punches, Basic Pearls and Old Olive satin ribbon. I was really happy with the way this came together, though I started out with no idea as to how this card would look. I just knew I wanted to use this colour combination. That's how helpful the Colour Coach can be...it is a great starting point for your creativity!
I'll be back tomorrow with a Halloween preview...

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Those of us who craft for fun are always a season or two ahead to allow us time to create projects in time for use during the various holidays throughout the year. Christmas is obviously a BIG crafting opportunity as there are so many ways to use handmade items at that time of year. Today's post is a preview of some projects that I am offering as part of my fall class line-up. I currently have one "Stamp-A-Stack" class scheduled for Thursday, November 18th at 7:00pm. If you can't make this time or would like to schedule a class at home for your friends and family I would be happy to schedule a private class. Just call or email to inquire about available dates and project possibilities.

These cards are some of the options available for Stamp-A-Stack classes and/or workshop make-n-takes:

All three of these cards use the Christmas Classics stamp set. These are available in the main catalogue and are a great all-round holiday set. The colour scheme for all three cards is Whisper White, Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler...classic Christmas colours to go with classic images.

For those who have never attended a Stamp-A-Stack, we make 4 each of three different card designs for a total of 12 cards by the end of the evening. This is a great way to get started on your holiday card list!

Over the next couple of weeks I will post other samples of possible designs. Call today to schedule your class or register for the November 18th one!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Yes...I'm back to doing Christmas cards. This time the products I used are from the main catalogue...my poor neglected new purchases...left to collect dust when the Holiday mini pre-order came in! No more! I've resolved to use at least one of everything I ordered from the new catty before I will allow myself to go back to the mini. We'll see how that goes...
Anyhow...this card actually uses a set I'm thinking about getting. I borrowed Scenic Season from a friend and she jokingly asked me a week or so ago when I would post something that uses it. Well, Christine...here it is!

Soft Suede and Cherry Cobbler make this a slightly nontraditional colour scheme.

I tried to capture a bit of the shimmer from the Smooch Vanilla Shimmer Mist...don't think I was very succesful! But its there...really!

I like this card for a few reasons:
1) It uses a beautiful image that I have long admired in the catalogue but that hadn't quite made it to the top of my purchasing list yet (it has now, by the way!)
2) It uses Soft Suede a fav former in-colour that has returned as a core colour in the Colour Renovation.
3) It was relatively quick and easy to make.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

With the start of the school year and cool nights it really is starting to feel like fall. Gone are the long, sultry nights of summer...I'm sad to see it go but I love the cool, crispness in the air. Today's post is a Thanksgiving card. We here in Canada will be celebrating in just 4 short weeks! It is always a very special time of year for our family; made even more-so by our wedding anniversary on October 9th. I made this card, not really knowing where I was going with it other than that I wanted to make something with a fall flavour. This is what I ended up with:

I used some of my favourite Stampin' Up products on this card! First of all, one of the new colours, Cajun Craze, is a rich, saturated burnt-orange that I am quickly falling in love with. The Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder creates absolutely gorgeous texture. Before running it through my Big Shot I brayered it with Cajun Craze ink. That created the two-tone effect. The text behind the torn corner comes from our Presto Patterns specialty paper. The image appears when you apply ink, either by misting it on or with a sponge or brayer. The effect is a kind-of emboss resist...very pretty. For the focal image I used the French Foliage stamp set from the Holiday Mini. I also used some Chantilly lace ribbon. This is a beautiful and easy way to add a touch of vintage elegance to any project. I finished it off with on of the Antique Brads...another new product I just can't seem to get enough of!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

I am always impressed by the quality and versatility of Stampin' Up! products. They really are second to none. Last week I was working with the Playdate DSP (see my back to school post) and realized that while the child-friendly patterns are great and really cute, not everyone has a use for that style of paper. Imagine how thrilled I was to realize that the reverse side of all the kid-type prints are beautiful, subtle, single-colour patterns! This paper is just perfect for so many uses! Today's card is a case-in-point.

Christmas card using Playdate DSP!

Close-up of the ornament focal image

Embossed sentiment

All of the patterned paper on this card is from the Playdate pack! The Real Red polka dots and the Old Olive lattice pattern are perfect for Christmas. How great is it that this paper is so versatile! There is also a great pattern for Valentine's Day...but that will be for a MUCH later post! Here is what I did to make this card:

I started with a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Whisper White cardstock which I ran through my Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. These folders are so affordable and a terrific way to add instant texture to any project. I then layered a piece of the Real Red polka dot patterned paper and a piece of the Old Olive lattice patterned paper on top of the embossed white piece. I didn't worry too much about making the two patterned pieces the same width but did make sure they were exactly 4" long so that they would align with the white piece. I then took a 1" strip of solid Old Olive cardstock and punched it using my Scalloped Edge punch. I added the little pierced detail in each scallop using my piercing tool and mat pack. I glued all of this down using SNAIL adhesive. I wrapped a 12" piece of Whisper White satin ribbon around covering the non-scalloped edge of the old olive cardstock and knotted it, notching the ends of the ribbon.
I then stamped the sentiment from the Perfect Punches set using Versamark ink, sprinkled it with silver embossing powder and heat embossed it. I punched the sentiment out using my 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch. I layered that over a 2" circle in Real Red and adhered it using a glue stick. Then I layered that on a 2 3/8" scalloped circle in Old Olive using dimensionals. Again, I added the piercing in the centre of each scallop all the way around the circle to tie it into the scalloped strip on the cardfront. I glued the whole thing to the cardfront using SNAIL adhesive.
Finally, I stamped the ornament image from the Tags Till Christmas set in Real Red ink on Whisper White cardstock and punched it out using my Ornament Punch. I added some bling with the Basic Rhinestone jewels. I tied a 6" length of Real Red 1/8" taffeta ribbon into a tiny bow and adhered it to the top of the ornament using a glue dot. I punched out two branches using my Two-step XL Bird Punch and adhered them to the upper left corner of the cardfront. I adhered the embellished ornament below the branches using dimensionals. I adhered the entire thing to an Old Olive card base.

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About Me

I am an Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator in Cambridge, Ontario Canada. I love all things crafty, but paper, ink and rubber are my thing. I love showing others how to release their own creativity through classes and workshops, as well as video tutorials. When I'm not playing with rubber and ink I am a full-time high school music department head, as well as mom to one perfect son and wife to a not-quite-so-perfect-but-still-wonderful husband.

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The content in this blog is the sole responsibility of Leena Girsa, an independent Stampin' Up! demonstrator. The use of and content of classes, services or products offered is not endorsed by Stampin' Up! Products used in all my projects are Stampin'Up! unless otherwise noted.

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